Nova Scotia - Caledonia Mills - The Mary Ellen Spook House - In the early 1900's, a family who lived outside of Antigonish Nova Scotia adopted a young woman named Mary Ellen. Once this child was taken home, strange things began to happen. Fires began to light themselves around the farms with no apparent cause. The local authorities were called and after some intense investigation, it was assumed that the newest member of the family was setting these fires. However, in many cases, Mary Ellen was not present on the farm when the fires were set. In addition to the fires, a strange dog began to be seen around the house. Not only outside, but also once the grandmother of the family woke up and this large, hulking dog was sitting at her beside. The grandmother got a terrible fright and cursed the dog in the name of the Lord. Details get fuzzy on this point, but it was 'felt' that the dog was the devil, or another demonic spirit. After this incident, other strange things began to happen. The usual 'disembodied footsteps', doors opening and shutting by themselves voices, and of course the fires. After the police were at a loss for an explanation, the local Priest was called. He came and conducted an extensive investigation with a famous parapsychologist. These investigations were done with the whole family, and a 'ghost writer' was used. A man or woman who permitted the ghost to contact the family by the use of pen and pencil. The message that the ghost left was very dark and nasty. Eventually, the family moved out and the house burned to the ground. There have been several documented cases of people who have traveled to the Spook House who have taken a shingle or a piece of wood back from the farm. Reportedly, fires broke out in the homes of those who stole the wood, and persisted until the artifact was either returned or ceremoniously buried.

I lived in Antigonish for four years while attending the local university, and I was born and raised in Nova Scotia. I remember people talking about this in passing, but I didn't know the details. Thanks for sharing!

Devil dogs. Unexplained fires. A girl in the age of sexual maturity? Isn't this a recurring theme? Wasn't there a movie based on actual events where a family was being haunted and the poltergeist got stronger due to one of the daughters being of this age range? Why does the devil, if he does exist...target girls of this age range and not boys? Or could it be a poltergeist with this unique ability enhanced by this girl? Perhaps when a girl is at this age she generates a stronger spiritual essence that these entities feed off of and grow stronger? If that's the case..then one can inductively reason...that women are evil...LOL

Edited by Sly-Spectre, 21 September 2007 - 11:17 AM.

"Something weird is going on Jess." Simon whispered as they waited to be served. "I overheard Sara and Hector say something about 'getting back at you' in the library this morning."Jessie thought for a moment, his face expressionless as usual."That's just crazy." he said. "I didn't think you even knew where the library was."

It was also reported that the animals moved around the barn and ashes would be found in the stored milk . It was also said that Mary Ellen would "play" with a black dog and if anyone else approached it it would dissapear (or run away, forget which.). I went to STFX in Antigonish! Hooray X-ring .

Interests:Needless to say, I'm interested in things paranormal. When I was 3 I head open heart surgery and died on the table, then came back to life. Ever since then weird things have happened to me. But you didn't read thing to know my life history, just my interests, so I'll go on with thoes. I like reading and writing, especially history and fantasy. I train horses and own my own half quaterhorse half appaloosa named Topaz. I like to draw and paint, and I love history. I'm currently in university studying journalism and international development, though one of my years was decitated to studying the history of literature.<br />I'm 19, female and I'm from Canada.<br />That's me in a paragraph, hope we can be friends.

Posted 10 April 2008 - 04:51 PM

I actually heard about this once before.Though when I heard it, I was told that Mary Ellen also couldn't speak. One day she just started screaming in toungs.I'm from Nova Scotia myself, but have never bee nto the farm.

When I was going up the stairs, I met a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today, I wish I wish he'd go away.

I was going through the old threads and came across this one. Just wanted to clear a few things up:

I was born & raised in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and have been to the site a number of times. I even had to do a project on in the grade 9 for my Maritime Studies class I never had anything happen when I was directly on the site but did have a weird experience involving the property with two of my closest friends at the time.

Mary Ellen MacDonald went to live with her relatives, Mr. & Mrs. MacDonald (can't remember the husbands name, but the wife was Janet) and after a short time fires did begin to break out around the house. The first one started in the ceiling over the kitchen where no one had access to, and once they got to the source of the fire (it was noticed right away so wasn't very big or out of hand) they found a small tuft of half-burnt cotton batting (or stuffing). After that first one, fires started breaking out all over the house, completely at random. And yes, sometimes Mary Ellen was home and othertimes she was not. The fires went one for days and the family & their friends stayed up for hours and hours putting them out. At one point, the kitchen floor was covered a couple of inches deep in water and there was a rag laying in the water. It burst into flames despite being soaking wet.

Other incidents included the animals in the barn being tied up and shut in for the night only to be found out and running around the pastures in the morning. Many men, including Mr. MacDonald, tied them up each night in super elaborate knots, but no matter what, they were always loose come morning. Other mornings they would come out to find the horse tails & manes had been braided in the most intricate ways anyone had ever seen. With Antigonish & area being very deeply rooted in Scotish, Irish & French History, many people believe it was Faeries or the 'Little People' who were causing the troubles.

Anyway, after many weeks of dealing with the fires in the house and word spreading about the Province regarding the wierd happenings, the Casket (the local Antigonish newspaper) sent out a reporter and an investigator to try and get to the bottom of it. I know they stayed there for a number of days in the empty house but could not figure out how the fires were being generated. Soon after they stayed, the Diocese of Antigonish sent in a priest with the reporter and investigator. They then conducted a number of seances and spirit writing sessions but nothing was ever revealed about what, if anything, was found out. The contents of the writing sessions have been locked up and in the possession of the Bishop of Antigonish (and his successors) since that time.

After all of this was said and done, the MacDonalds moved back into their home with no further problems.

They say that the goings-on were eiher cause by Mary Ellen, channeling poltergeist energy, or by Mr. MacDonalds mother. She was very old, very mean, very ill and dying and was being looked after her daughter in law, Janet, in the MacDonald home. She was so demanding and awful to Janet that one day she (Janet) broke down and screamed at her the she "Hoped the Devil would come and take her by morning." Just as she said those words, a large black dog walked in the front door of the house, past Janet & the mother in law, and out the back of the house. The mother in law was dead by morning, and most locals believe that she laid a curse on the home.

I know there is more to the story, but it's been so very long since I've told them that I can't remember it all. But, there is a book written about it called The Firespook of Caledonia Mills by Carroll MacIntyre, and you can also visit the Antigonish Heritage Museums website about the Spook Farm:

Even to this day there are men I know, friends of my father, about 60+ years of age who are as tough as friggin nails who refuse to go near the property or even walk on the same side of the road as it is located on, even though all that's left now is a bunch of rocks where the foundation was and a rock line from the barn foundation.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who lives in this town.. You know.. There's like 15 people, what are the chances? HahI really need to go the farm sometime. I've been hearing about it for ages.

Yeah, funny how there's a bunch of Nishers on the same forum Though I haven't lived there since 2002, I go home to visit alot.

If you ever decide to go to the property, make sure you get directions. There's two ways to get in, but I've tried both and only one had led me to the property. I can PM you directions of you like.

It's a couple of kilometers into the woods and you have to go on foot the whole way (or at least you did last time I was there) but there is a logging road which makes the hike a bit easier. If you do go, make sure you go when there's lots of daylght left because the property is in the middle of nowhere and you don't want to hike out in the dark, especially through the swamp :P

I'm going to check at my parents house next time I'm in Antigonish and see if I can't find the pictures I took of the property.

Also, Joey, if you go to the Regional and if Wayne Mason still teaches Maritime Studies and/or History, go ask him about the property, as it was his class that every year did a project on the Spook Farm, and he had some really cool pictures that were taken out there, like the one of where the house used to be so there's nothing on the site but an old foundation, but in the photo there's the perfect outline of the house. It was a black and white picture if I remember correctly.

I was going through the old threads and came across this one. Just wanted to clear a few things up:

I was born & raised in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and have been to the site a number of times. I even had to do a project on in the grade 9 for my Maritime Studies class style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif I never had anything happen when I was directly on the site but did have a weird experience involving the property with two of my closest friends at the time.

Mary Ellen MacDonald went to live with her relatives, Mr. & Mrs. MacDonald (can't remember the husbands name, but the wife was Janet) and after a short time fires did begin to break out around the house. The first one started in the ceiling over the kitchen where no one had access to, and once they got to the source of the fire (it was noticed right away so wasn't very big or out of hand) they found a small tuft of half-burnt cotton batting (or stuffing). After that first one, fires started breaking out all over the house, completely at random. And yes, sometimes Mary Ellen was home and othertimes she was not. The fires went one for days and the family & their friends stayed up for hours and hours putting them out. At one point, the kitchen floor was covered a couple of inches deep in water and there was a rag laying in the water. It burst into flames despite being soaking wet.

Other incidents included the animals in the barn being tied up and shut in for the night only to be found out and running around the pastures in the morning. Many men, including Mr. MacDonald, tied them up each night in super elaborate knots, but no matter what, they were always loose come morning. Other mornings they would come out to find the horse tails & manes had been braided in the most intricate ways anyone had ever seen. With Antigonish & area being very deeply rooted in Scotish, Irish & French History, many people believe it was Faeries or the 'Little People' who were causing the troubles.

Anyway, after many weeks of dealing with the fires in the house and word spreading about the Province regarding the wierd happenings, the Casket (the local Antigonish newspaper) sent out a reporter and an investigator to try and get to the bottom of it. I know they stayed there for a number of days in the empty house but could not figure out how the fires were being generated. Soon after they stayed, the Diocese of Antigonish sent in a priest with the reporter and investigator. They then conducted a number of seances and spirit writing sessions but nothing was ever revealed about what, if anything, was found out. The contents of the writing sessions have been locked up and in the possession of the Bishop of Antigonish (and his successors) since that time.

After all of this was said and done, the MacDonalds moved back into their home with no further problems.

They say that the goings-on were eiher cause by Mary Ellen, channeling poltergeist energy, or by Mr. MacDonalds mother. She was very old, very mean, very ill and dying and was being looked after her daughter in law, Janet, in the MacDonald home. She was so demanding and awful to Janet that one day she (Janet) broke down and screamed at her the she "Hoped the Devil would come and take her by morning." Just as she said those words, a large black dog walked in the front door of the house, past Janet & the mother in law, and out the back of the house. The mother in law was dead by morning, and most locals believe that she laid a curse on the home.

I know there is more to the story, but it's been so very long since I've told them that I can't remember it all. But, there is a book written about it called The Firespook of Caledonia Mills by Carroll MacIntyre, and you can also visit the Antigonish Heritage Museums website about the Spook Farm:

Even to this day there are men I know, friends of my father, about 60+ years of age who are as tough as friggin nails who refuse to go near the property or even walk on the same side of the road as it is located on, even though all that's left now is a bunch of rocks where the foundation was and a rock line from the barn foundation.

I would like to get the directions to this place Sounds awesome and I have some friends who would like to go and find out information about it ! thank you !

Hello and welcome to the boards. The only thing I could suggest is to contact The Town of Antigonish they have a community page about that and other ghost sites in the area. Up the top of their page, they have Facebook or Twitter links. Or you could contact the Antigonish Heritage Museum Facebook page.